A part may be made of one or more suitable materials. For example, a part may be made of a composite material, which typically are made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties. Typically, the constituent materials include a matrix (or bond) material, such as resin (e.g., thermoset epoxy), and a reinforcement material, such as a plurality of fibers (e.g., a woven layer of carbon fibers). When combined, the constituent materials typically produce a composite material with characteristics different from the individual constituent materials even though the constituent materials generally remain separate and distinct within the finished structure of the composite material. Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer is an example of such a composite material.
Composite materials may be preferred for many reasons. For example, composite materials may be stronger and/or lighter than traditional materials. As a result, composite materials are generally used to construct various objects, such as vehicles (e.g., airplanes, automobiles, boats, bicycles, and/or components thereof), and non-vehicle structures (e.g., buildings, bridges, swimming pool panels, shower stalls, bathtubs, storage tanks, and/or components thereof). Parts that are largely two-dimensional but with a definite thickness, such as the outer skin of an aircraft wing, are often constructed of a plurality of layers of reinforcement material, the layers impregnated with matrix material and bonded to adjacent layers by the matrix material.
Composite structures may have defects, such as delaminations where adjacent layers separate from one another. Other defects may include holes or other unintended voids in the structure which may create an unwanted degree of porosity. Defects such as these can adversely affect the material properties of the part. These defects can be created during a curing process that creates a composite part, when an edge of a part is created by cutting or drilling, when an existing edge is beveled, chamfered, radiused or otherwise trimmed, or as stress is applied to the part over time during use of the part, among others.
Often, a part is inspected for defects after it has been created. In cases where the part is subsequently cut and/or trimmed, the part may then be inspected again. In particular, the part may be inspected near where the cutting and/or trimming took place. Inspecting and then reinspecting a part may be unnecessarily costly and inefficient.
In the case where a composite end portion (such as a trimmed edge of a part) is inspected, two separate apparatuses are often used: a first apparatus to inspect the trimmed edge of the part and a second apparatus to inspect the part proximate the trimmed edge. Using two separate apparatuses may be inefficient and integrating the results of the two inspections may be difficult.
In the case where an edge of a part is inspected, often an apparatus is used to inspect one side of the part proximate the edge and then used again to inspect the other side of the part proximate the edge. Again, having multiple passes of an apparatus over an area may be inefficient.
Finally, composite end portions of parts are often inspected by moving an inspection apparatus around the edge by hand. This method introduces the possibility of human error and inconsistency. On the other hand, if an automated robotic system were used to move the inspection apparatus around, very precise and difficult planning of the route of the apparatus to maintain the appropriate alignment with the composite end portion may be required.